Machining tools for machining structures in the surface of a workpiece are known. For example computer numerically controlled (CNC) turning or milling machines can machine grooves in a workpiece by controlling the displacement of a cutting tool relative to the workpiece.
In a typical application, a workpiece is mounted on or bonded to a surface of a drum. The drum is controlled to rotate as the cutting tool is displaced both into and along the workpiece.
Some CNC turning or milling machines include a pair of relatively massive slides that move along orthogonal axes to displace the cutting tool along and into the workpiece. In the case of applications with a rotating drum support, one of the directions that the cutting tool is displaced is along the rotational axis of the drum, and another direction is into the workpiece.
Other CNC turning or milling machines include a fast tool servo (FTS) with a piezoelectric actuator, for example, to displace the cutting tool relative to the work piece. The piezoelectric actuator displaces the cutting tool based upon control signals received, and the cutting tool is displaced relative to the workpiece, either into the workpiece, or laterally relative to the surface of the workpiece.